We’re shining a spotlight on our amazing majority-female team as part of Women's History Month, and International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8 March. Helena Hills, Founder of TrueStart Coffee shares her insights on the professional challenges she’s overcome, and her work to #BreakTheBias Who is TrueStart? ☕️🌈 Founded by husband and wife team Simon and Helena, TrueStart launched their first product in 2015. The now-legendary Barista Grade Instant Coffee was the first coffee in the world to provide a boost with no crash thanks to a reliable, stable caffeine content. Working with independent suppliers, sustainable packaging and a family-owned logistics team, TrueStart’s vibrant, healthy, hyper-sustainable approach to coffee helped them become a proudly Certified B Corporation in 2021. They’re committed to making the world a healthier, happier place through delicious, uplifting coffee and by providing opportunities for disadvantaged communities through the Bags of Good initiative and food bank donations. Meet the woman behind the beans As a co-founder alongside your husband, what does your half of the role entail? Our skill sets are completely different, which is lucky because they complement one another. I think this is what makes it possible to work together! I’m much more outward facing, leading on sales and marketing while Simon is much more focused on product, operational efficiencies and ensuring the best possible customer experience. We do pretty much all the overall strategy, direction and brand work together, though. I want to change the world by lifting traditionally feminine characteristics up and spreading more positive energy and emotion. Helena - Co-founder, TrueStart Have you found that you and Simon have been treated as equals throughout your journey? I have found that Simon and I are generally treated as equals. But I believe that this is because we have the privilege of being largely surrounded by people who believe in what we’re doing, lift us up and give us confidence in ourselves. The coffee industry, like most industries, still has a culture of bias and inequality. What bias have you faced during your career? Generally speaking, I see such a huge gap in the confidence levels between women and men. Often, it is the women with stereotypically masculine characteristics that are able to rise up and be heard. In Western society, these characteristics include assertiveness, logic, low sensitivity and independence. By contrast, characteristic traits that are stereotypically viewed as feminine – such as expressiveness, sensitivity, empathy and modesty– have been viewed as weaknesses for as long as human memory goes back. Stereotypically feminine traits are so crucial to the world becoming a better place, and we need to start recognising their value and importance. We need to listen to women more, and recognise that they may not have the confidence to voice their opinions. This means we need to create more opportunities and platforms for women and their ideas to be heard, valued and acted upon. We also need to make sure that men and boys value and nurture these traits in themselves too. The importance of this, and the reality of inequality has become even more obvious to me since having children. Instilling confidence starts on day one – if we’re shaping children to conform to particular stereotypes and not giving them the confidence to be their true selves (especially girls) then it’s no wonder we have such a confidence gap in adults. We have such a long way to go. I think maybe I come up against fewer barriers than many women because my outward personality is quite confident and assertive, although I am extremely sensitive which perhaps is not immediately obvious to others. As I’ve got older I’ve become more confident in asserting my empathy, sensitivity and excitement, which feels like an oxymoron. I want to change the world by lifting traditionally feminine characteristics up and spreading more positive energy and emotion. What advice for navigating the workplace as a woman would you give your younger self? Know that there is nothing wrong with you. You feel emotions to an extreme extent, and I promise this is a good thing even though it is often overwhelming, confusing and frustrating for you. Right now it might feel like your energy levels are out of control, particularly in your brain, and coupled with your frustration this can make you feel angry and aggressive, mostly towards yourself. Don’t worry. Your brain is just wired atypically, and through experience and the support of others you will learn how to use your energy to lift people up, including yourself. What’s important to you as an employer of women? To unlock the potential of each individual by ensuring that their unique talents, characteristics and desires are uncovered, seen, heard and acted upon with opportunities. Regardless of what they are, it’s important to view these natural traits in a positive light so they can be developed. It starts with proper mutual respect, an understanding of each other and aligned values. Our Commercial Director recently got the whole team to do a personality assessment and it has helped me so much to have a deeper understanding of how each of us work, which definitely improves team happiness and dynamics. I’ve been getting my family and friends to do it, too! Thank you for reading! Helena was interviewed by our fantastic parters, Huggg for this blog post. You can read the full article here: https://www.huggg.me/blog/international-womens-day-with-truestart 

TrueStart is all about creating a happier & healthier world, through the power of positive energy. We're absolutely delighted to announce The TrueStart Legs Programme. "If an idea, plan, or activity has legs, it is likely to continue or succeed."- Collins English Dictionary Do you have a big idea that will make the world healthier and happier? Our founders Helena and Simon love getting ideas off the ground. Giving ideas a TrueStart, you could say 😉 So if you have a big idea to make the world healthier and happier but aren't sure what to do next, you could be in the right place. Armed with their experience getting a variety of successful projects and businesses off to a TrueStart, Helena and Simon want to hear from applicants that would get value from a structured mentoring programme that ensures dedicated time with Helena and Simon and any other relevant members of their wider team.  Successful applicants will get: A structured 3-month mentoring and support programme designed to get your idea off the ground, with dedicated time from Helena and Simon, Co-Founders of TrueStart Coffee Free welcome pack & 3-month supply of TrueStart Coffee  Your story told through TrueStart's channels 30% discount off TrueStart, forever When you successfully complete the programme, you'll be awarded with a reclaimed wooden plaque, to celebrate that your idea got off to a TrueStart! So if you think your ideas has legs, apply today! There are 2 categories we are inviting applications for ideas centred on: Happier, healthier people Happier, healthier planet We have a short application form for you to fill out just here: Applications are open to individuals, groups, businesses & charities across the UK and will be reviewed by our team each month.  Every 3 months, 2 ideas will be invited to join the mentorship programme (1 from each category). We'll chose ideas that we believe we can have the biggest impact on based on our own skills and experience. We can't wait to hear from you!

Recently a friend asked me about the link between caffeine and the frequency and extremity of menopausal symptoms. It's not the first time a menopausal woman has asked me, with palpable despair, whether they're going to have to give up one of their greatest daily pleasures - their coffee! I can really relate to this quandary - I have severe ADHD and there is a lot of misinformation out there telling individuals with ADHD to cut out caffeine, when actually it is a neurological stimulant that massively helps me manage my ADHD symptoms. It increases the dopamine availability in my brain and genuinely calms me down. I also really enjoy it, and the importance of that enjoyment should not be underestimated, under any circumstances! The more I've read about caffeine and the menopause, the more I've realised that it’s a similar situation. There are loads of "wellness" blogs out there telling menopausal women to immediately completely eliminate coffee and chocolate and other delicious things from their diet. But actually, there isn't a single, simple answer. There are pros and cons to caffeine where the menopause is concerned, and every individual is different. So what’s the science? There has been a lot of conflicting research on whether caffeine has an influence on the extremity and frequency of menopausal symptoms.  There are indeed studies that suggest that there may be a link between caffeine use and vasomotor menopause symptoms — namely, hot flashes and night sweats. But at the same time, there are studies like this 2014 one of 2507 menopausal women that suggest women with higher caffeine intake experience fewer menopausal problems with mood, memory and concentration (ie - the neurological menopause symptoms). I’m even more confused! So what does this mean for me?! We can safely say that over the years, caffeine and the menopause have been both positively and negatively linked. If you regularly consume caffeine and you're troubled by vasomotor symptoms like hot flushes or night sweats, the Mayo Clinic says you might consider cutting back on or eliminating caffeine from your diet to see if that eases your symptoms.  If drinking coffee is helping you to ease neurological symptoms such as mood swings, or issues with memory or concentration, then keep enjoying it.  Remember, you are unique. Blanket advice isn’t necessarily right for everyone, we all need to listen to our own bodies and find out what makes us tick. A great option to keep enjoying your coffee but still reduce your caffeine intake is TrueStart’s new range of super clean, super flavoursome decaffeinated coffees. From Barista Grade Instant Coffee to specialty grade Fresh Brazilian Beans and Ground, reducing your caffeine intake doesn’t have to mean forgoing your delicious coffee!

We are SO HAPPY and proud to share that we have submitted TrueStart's completed B Corp assessment for review!! B Corporation certification is the GOLD STANDARD for ethical business practices. It is a holistic approach to using business as a force for good that we just resonate with so much. We've been hard at work on this behind the scenes for a long time and have always been open about the fact that we've been on the path to becoming B Corp certified. This milestone is a huge step towards becoming certified and we’re delighted to share it with you! What is a certified B Corp? B Corporations are a new model for businesses that are tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues and challenges, and building a new economy led by shareholder capitalism rather than profit at the expense of people and the planet.  It’s far from easy to become certified. B Corporations meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. We are totally on board with this new vision of a world where business is used as a force for good. I’m massively optimistic that profit, people and the planet can not only co-exist, but actually enhance one another. B Corps are proof of this! What have we done during the assessment process? In order to submit a B Corp assessment, you need to score at least 80 points. I’m proud to say that when TrueStart first looked at the assessment we naturally scored above average, even though we hadn’t yet reached the threshold of 80. Covid put the brakes on the work we were doing on our B Corp assessment (as we suddenly had so much unexpected new work to do!!) but it also gave us the opportunity to step back and implement some major projects and changes to improve our social and environment impact even further. Some of these projects have included; Moving our drinks production to the South West, which has saved 2.2 tonnes of CO2 with every regular small batch produced, whilst simultaneously helping create and safeguard jobs Moving into an awesome new eco-first HQ on the Bristol-Bath cycle path, where we’ve implemented lots of eco-first processes and ways of working, including harvesting rainwater, planting trees and tracking our energy usage and waste disposal. Moving our warehousing & logistics to a fantastic local family business who share our values Eradicating plastic from our drinks production line, including our outer packaging Officiating some of the work we do with with schools with a commitment over the next 3 years, improving understanding of neurodiversity and inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs Changing the legal structure of our business to report a triple bottom line - profit as well as our impact on people and the planet These awesome changes have increased our B Corp score well beyond what’s needed and we’re just so excited to have reached this milestone. What’s next? We’re now in a queue, waiting for our assessment to be reviewed by the B Corp team which could take 5 months. Then, they may come back with specific feedback for us to action before proceeding to certification, which we hope to achieve this year. Watch this space! 💚

So it’s a second national lockdown and emotions are running high. Very high. That feeling of no light at the end of the tunnel. I also had a bit of a wake up call when I realised that in reality, many parts of the UK have actually been in lockdown for much longer than we have in Bristol. Here's a little video about a topic very important to me - optimism. If you'd prefer to read it as a blog then you can do below! Yesterday I was a ball of impending doom and general apprehension. I wanted to share some incredibly reassuring advice that I heard which calmed me down. It was to imagine your 90 year old self and let them carry you through the next few weeks. 90 year old Helena (who also happened to have neon pink hair) put a month, or even a year, into perspective and I found myself feeling optimistic and confident and hopeful again about our future. Energy is contagious and when the rhetoric is total powerlessness and hopelessness, the intensity of that negative energy causes me physical pain and brain fog. This scares me a lot more than the virus itself and I don’t want Leo and Arthur to grow up in a world filled with those negative energies which locks out creative thinking and narrows our minds. But all of us are on an emotional rollercoaster so I’ve tried to make my priority to give myself a break when I’m having a meltdown (like yesterday) but when I’m feeling good, I see it as my job to transfer as much relentless optimism to others as I can. For me, relentless optimism is the literal opposite of toxic positivity, which is that fake, false happiness where real emotions are denied. Optimism involves reacting to real situations and emotions with a sense of confidence and ability. Optimism is a big part of who I am and when I lose it I feel really lost. So it’s got me thinking, what are we in control of right now? What difference can we really make, can I make, to the energies of our every day in lockdown?  There’s an amazing psychologist, he’s often called the father of positive psychology, a guy called Martin Seligman, who defines optimism as a belief that negative events are temporary, manageable and limited in scope - meaning they can’t pervade every aspect of our lives. For me, optimism is hope. Seligman talks about optimism existing on a continuum (like most things in psychology) and it being a learnable skill that has a huge impact on physical and mental well-being, including making our immune systems work better. Because believe it or not, optimism has been proven to do exactly that, and even prevent chronic disease, as well as help people cope with difficult news. It does us all a lot of good. Winston Churchill has a particularly good famous quote about optimism - he said that “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; while an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” I just love that quote. So I want to feel optimistic and I want you to as well! I want to feel helpful, not helpless. And I want us all to see how we all have the power to make others feel good. It really matters how we interact with each other and transfer that optimism from person to person. Because we can do it, optimism in lockdown. I know we can. So this month starting now (3rd Nov), we’re going to include an extra tin of our Barista Grade Instant Coffee, as a gift from us, with all orders of our tubs. The idea is that you gift this to a neighbour that needs cheering up, because this tin is a little pot of sunshine into their kitchen, it’s you transferring your hope and optimism and positive energy. My hope is that together doing this we remember how much influence we’ve got over ourselves and the world. Sometimes we need someone else to help us tap into it or feel reassured again.  So if you’re ordering a big 500g tub of our Barista Grade Instant Coffee to see you through the next month, add a 100g tin to your basket as well and it you won't be charged for it (if you've recently ordered a tub then don't worry, this offer is on for the whole month of November and the tubs have a nice long shelf life). Click here to stock up on a tub and get your free tin (remember to add both sizes to your basket). Thanks for giving this little blog a read and remember, when you feel crap check in with your 90 year old self and see what they have to say to you. It works wonders! See you again soon ❤

Cardboard makes Simon happy.. 🤓 Signing off our brand new cold brew coffee drinks recipes and production process in our new UK brewery makes him extremely happy!! 🤩 Epic remastered flavours, totally UK brewed (just down the road from us here in the South West), 100% plastic-free packaging and saving over 2 Tonnes of CO2 with every batch (phew...)!!! 💚🌍 Behind the scenes, Si has recorded a 2-minute video for you, touring our custom canning line here in the UK! He's very excited because he's been working on this project for months.. Lockdown has forced innovation to happen very quickly and that's what TrueStart Coffee does best. The first run of the new cans will be next month! More deets (and other exciting projects) to share very soon!! 🚀 ENJOY! Helena x

After the intensity and uncertainty of the last few months, I have some exciting news to share! This is only thanks to every person in our awesome TrueStart community continuing to support us and sharing the love with your family and friends! We are now bursting at the seams of our office and this week are moving our shipping operations to an amazing local family-owned business, just down the road from us here in Bristol. In this Dive In Series video, I want to touch on this move and also talk through our decision-making process when we are looking for partners to work with. Read below or watch my video here: Celebrating the wins together It's important to pause and celebrate the wins, no matter how small, especially in today's world. We also want to share these wins with you, so you can share in the good vibes :) For me, finding great people to help us grow is a big win. I also look after all the ops stuff, which doesn't generally get talked about. So, rather than hide "behind the scenes", I thought it would be better to show you where the magic happens, so you can feel as connected as we are to this journey from a simple idea to a world-leading brand that spreads massive positive energy and doesn't compromise on ethics. Pre-Covid, e-commerce was not a big part of our strategy. It was always on the list as "I must get round to sorting that out". But since the world changed, it immediately became the only way we could save our business. With 85% of our sales wiped out overnight, we needed to move quickly... and we did! :) We bought boxes, a label printer and a branded stamp and started packing! From 5 orders a day, to over 50 a day and beyond. It's brought us closer to you and we are hugely grateful to have you with us. Here is some footage from today, with Nate packing up your orders in what has been lovingly named "The Pablo Room". It's meant to be an office for 45 people but for the last 3 months, it's been our warehouse. A clean, air-conditioned warehouse! A quick shoutout to Runway East who have been super supportive of us during Lockdown, allowing us to use this space and their reception as the DPD collection point! I've hand-written well over 2,000 thank you notes in the last 4 months, and Nate has been helping with the increase in orders recently too. I love seeing the same names pop up every couple of weeks for your regular delivery of your favourite dopamine-boosting coffee and watching how people explore our whole range over time. I'm a bit of a data-nerd but there is nothing better for your intuition and understanding than being super close to your customers. This will never change. You guys make us what we are. So... the next exciting phase for TrueStart will bring in our friends at Diamond, who will be taking the reigns on our storage, packing and delivery of our website orders. They are a lovely family run business, with a very small team, just down the road from us in Bristol. The lovely Simone will be writing your notes going forward. She's your dedicated dispatch person, who will pack every order up with as much love and passion as we do! She's also a massive coffee lover like us! Choosing our partners... it's a big deal I wrote a list recently of everyone (and the companies they represent) who plays a part in what we do and I was surprised... there are a lot! (We can't possibly do everything ourselves, so we need trusted experts to guide us) and we depend on them all to care as much as we do about everything you care about: Quality, Customer Service, Sustainability, Ethics, Human Rights and more. So how do we decide who to work with...? 1 - Look as local as possible 2 - For people like us, with a strong moral compass and personal values 3 - Then ask, would we be proud to work for them It's an art, not a science, and we are big believers in going with your gut and diving in head-first! That's all from me this week, you might be lucky and get Helena back next week! :) 

Morning everyone, Helena here for episode two of our weekly webcast diving into the world of TrueStart and sharing what’s on my mind! Click the video to give it a watch, or if you prefer to read then this blog covers everything I talk about in about 3 minutes :)   It’s 11am on Monday 7th September and today I'm drinking a Vanilla Coconut cold brew - my second one of the day! Today I’m going to be telling you all about the link between coffee, dopamine and feeling good which I hope will teach you maybe something new about caffeine and how it affects us. But first.. 🧐 Zooming in - Pimping Dalgonas at the Energy Hub  Last week Paige organised a pimp our Dalgona coffee competition! Now, if you don’t know what Dalgona coffee is, it’s a glass with ice and your favourite milk, topped with a whipped TrueStart Coffee and sugar delight then decorated with popcorn, chocolate and whatever else you can find. It’s mega indulgent and really fun. So each of us made a pimped up Dalgona creation! Harry and Nate’s entries were already half-drunk by the time we took the pic (their argument was that their creations were too irresistible so should clearly win) - then we had a beauty of a classic Dalgona by Paige, Simon made a super fancy Dalgona in a martini glass, Claire got involved from home with a Dalgona in a snazzy glass milk bottle then mine was a turbo - I used cold brew for the base instead of milk.  We had loads of toppings on the go - Propercorn, Grenade bars, Tony's Chocolonely, Love Raw chocolate cups, Mighty Fine Honeycomb bars.. The winner was voted by you guys on Instagram and your fave was Simon’s fancy Dalgona! I think I was robbed in all honesty - I mean a turbo Dalgona? How good is that. But you win some you lose some ;) Get yourself a Dalgona bundle here: https://www.truestartcoffee.com/products/pimp-your-dalgona 🌈🤩 Coffee, Dopamine & Feeling Good! So I’ve been utterly blown away by the response to my webcast and Tracy’s podcast interview about neurodiversity - it is SO obvious that everyone, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, is interested in learning more about our brains! You’re not alone because it’s a subject I’m obsessed with, although the more I realise how flipping huge and complex neuroscience is! Although I suppose that’s fairly obvious.  A subject I’ve been asked a fair amount about is the link between coffee and the brain, including how it makes us feel good. I’m categorically not a neuroscientist, or any sort of scientist for that matter, this is simply me imparting some of the fascinating learning I’ve been doing and I hope you enjoy it. Feel-Good for 500 Years! Coffee is obviously a big part of many of our lives, and it has been making humans feel good since the 15th century believe it or now! It’s really an intrinsic part of human life all over the world, and it is also the reason that caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world. The list of what coffee does for us is extensive, it makes us feel more alert, can help us with cognition and burning fat and gaining extra energy for physical performance, it’s full of antioxidants like polyphenols and hydrocinnamic acids, which is just one of the reasons that coffee is linked to reducing the risk of a variety of diseases including type 2 diabetes and liver diseases.  Caffeine’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties have even proved effective in fighting Alzheimer’s disease.  There are actually several studies on the benefits of taking caffeine for memory and learning, as well as slowing down cognitive decline. For the most part, caffeine enhancing effects are attributed to the fact it antagonises our adenosine receptors, and it has also been established that caffeine is protective to your brain and makes it resilient to stress, aging, and neurological diseases by protecting neurons against certain toxins. For instance, clinical trials have placed caffeine as a neuroprotective agent against Parkinson's disease. Caffeine & Dopamine - A Game-Changing Revelation On top of this, caffeine has also been shown to increase dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in a part of our brains called the ventral striatum, which is associated with the limbic system - so our emotions and memory - and is a really important part of the circuitry for decision making and reward-related behavior. Interestingly, caffeine doesn’t actually increase the production of dopamine, just the receptor availability, and even more excitingly, there is a paradox with caffeine and dopamine: Caffeine has been shown to both improve dopamine signaling in the brain, but also prevents the negative effects of excessive dopamine signaling.  Now this is a game-changing revelation, especially for people living with the trials, tribulations and triumphs of inhibited dopamine flow, and more of us are affected by neurological differences that you might think. It’s one of the many things that makes each human so unique.  So for me, with a brain that has unusually low dopamine receptor availability, coffee effectively helps me treat that and function much better on a daily basis when it comes to executive function skills like working memory, impulsivity and focus, and organisation, as well as overall mood, motor control and emotional regulation. Right I’m stopping there!  I'm all ears on any questions about anything I talk about in these videos / blogs, just comment or get in touch via the 'contact us' page! See you next week for episode 3 and in the meantime, have a cracking week guys x Further reading if you fancy it.. Study: Caffeine increases striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in the human brain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462609/ Article: The science behind why coffee makes us happy: https://thriveglobal.com/stories/why-does-coffee-make-us-feel-so-happy-3 Study: Caffeine Protects Dopaminergic Neurons From Dopamine-Induced Neurodegeneration: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00137/full

Yo! It’s Helena here and welcome to week 1 of my weekly dive in and zoom out of the world of TrueStart, where I’m sharing a bit about what we’re up to and a bit about what’s on my own mind.  You can either watch me chatting in the video or read this blog - whichever you prefer!  So it is Tuesday 1st September and today I am drinking an Original Black TrueStart Cold Brew Coffee - a cracking start to my first day back with both boys in nursery this morning! The sun is out here in Bristol which is no surprise - it's always sunny on 1st September because it's Simon and I's wedding anniversary, 8 years today! 🧐 Zooming in - what's on at the Energy Hub Right it’s time to dive straight in! I’ve got 3 things to share from this past week, first up... 🌍🏆 Eco Award Winners!  I’m really proud to share that we’ve won an award recognising TrueStart as the Most Eco Conscious Beverage Company in the South West! This means a lot for Simon and I, because we really believe and want to prove that you can build an incredible business that uses positive emotion and energy to have a significant impact on millions of lives without compromising on ethics.  We might not be impacting millions just yet, but we’re certainly aiming to, and the ethics that underpin TrueStart is a reflection of our own values. Putting people first is a key part of that. It’s genuinely not easy to scale ethically because it isn’t the status quo, and we’re literally constantly reviewing everything we do, from using a carbon neutral delivery service on everything that goes out the door, to using plastic free packaging when you order from truestartcoffee.com - we are continually improving and debating how we can make our decisions the best they can be for both people and the planet. Ethical decisions are often both subjective and expensive so it's tough but we love the challenge. 🌲☕ Loving the Center Parcs Life The second thing I want to share is an exciting new customer, TrueStart is now available at Center Parcs! I think I’m extra excited about this because it’s my new favourite place - we took Leo and Arthur just before Covid hit and they LOVED it so much, we have already made amazing memories there and are actually taking them back soon. You can now pick up all our coffee drinks and also our legendary Barista Grade Instant Coffee from their ParcMarkets and I for one definitely appreciate this as a busy tired parent - all the energy and vibes with none of the rubbish! It’s great to see us stacked in the fridge and on shelf next to industry giants like Starbucks and Nescafe too - bring it on. 🎉📈 Buzzing about Amazon Best-Sellers We’ve been buzzing this week because TrueStart has just entered the top 20 best-selling instant coffees on Amazon! Our Barista Grade Instant Coffee has only been on Amazon a couple of months and there are literally HUNDREDS of instant coffees on there to choose from including all the industry giants, who each have several products on there. Reading the reviews makes me really happy too - so many comments about how TrueStart makes people feel and I love seeing people say things like we bring sunshine into their kitchen, or magic in a tin! That’s what it’s all about, spreading the vibes to make you feel good. 🧠🌞 Zooming out - what's on my mind I have something pretty big to share. It’s something I've never, ever talked about before but that needs to change. You may or may not be surprised to learn that I have a neurobiological condition, or brain difference, called ADHD. I was diagnosed age 7 and only recently have I started to really learn about it, and how it is responsible for the extreme way my brain and therefore body works - both good and bad! When I was diagnosed there was very little research or information, and I now know how lucky I was to be diagnosed at all given how many people (especially women) have no idea they are neurodivergent. ADHD is a neurobiological condition (don't get me started on the word 'disorder') caused by impaired neurotransmitter activity in one or more areas of the brain. This fundamentally impacts the uptake and efficient flow of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter that we all make in our brains and use to send messages between nerve cells. Dopamine plays a vital role in the brain's pleasure and reward systems. It also regulates mood and muscle movement. Put in simple terms, people with ADHD live with a continual, constant dopamine deficiency and a brain reward system that does not work in a typical way. If your knowledge on this subject represents the norm, then *everything* you know about ADHD is wrong. Like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD is a spectrum too. ASD and ADHD share a surprising number of symptoms, and you can have both too. ADHD symptoms are extensive, external, internal, exhausting and astonishing when you first find out about them. Some people have mild symptoms and some people have severe symptoms. Mine are severe. ADHD is not.. a behavioural disorder. It is not a willpower problem. It is not bad parenting. It is not poor lifestyle. It is not laziness. It is not stupidity. It is not craziness. It is not something the person with ADHD has control over. It is the opposite of these things, and it is absolutely not something that everyone has. I credit my ADHD for many of the ace things about myself. I consider it a superpower. But it is also hugely challenging on a daily basis, navigating my brain in a society that just isn't set up to understand, account for or even tolerate these differences. You end up just thinking you are defective. Neurodiversity is something people know SO little about and it is blowing my mind. It touches all our lives in some way through either ourselves or people we know and love - whether it is brain differences like ADHD or ASD or Tourette’s or Dyslexia or Bipolar, or the neurology of unresolved trauma, or illnesses including depression, anxiety, even Parkinson’s Disease and CFS/ME, or chronic inflammatory diseases like Endometriosis and Crohn’s. They are all linked to neurodiversity. The fact we understand so little is damaging so many lives as well as society at large. I’m going to start talking about this more. I’ve been interviewed by the truly wonderful Tracy Otsuka, who has the world’s #1 (most downloaded) podcast on ADHD. I feel sick sharing it, mainly because I want to do it justice and the subject is so huge so there is a lot more to cover, but it’s got to be done! Here's the episode on Spotify, give it a listen and let me know what you think!  https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qOBAQXl8xpeP6xy1qpVgC?si=jR5IkqsFQuCSqtetbedcpA Or click here for links to the episode via webpage and all other podcast apps: https://www.tracyotsuka.com/podcast I'm all ears on any questions about anything I talk about in these videos / blogs, just comment or get in touch via the 'contact us' page! Have a cracking week guys x

A great tasting coffee is not just about the bean.  There's nothing worse than a cup of coffee that is too bitter and lacks that delicious depth of flavour. We often get new customers (especially offices) come to us with the complaint that their current coffee supply is too bitter, or too sour. They are looking to TrueStart to help, and of course we do! But, I have to be honest with them. The problem may not be with the coffee!  We always, always start with the equipment and here's why. The flavour of coffee hinges on how we extract it. Two things determine how creamy and delicious your espresso tastes. It's a recipe with two ingredients; The correct brew ratio (coffee : water) The correct extraction time  There are 3 reasons your coffee is tasting too bitter or too sour 1. Over or under extraction Not enough water results in sour, under-extracted coffee, and too much water results in bitter, over-extracted coffee. The espresso ratio we recommend is 1:2 (coffee:water), but if your machine has not been recently calibrated for the beans you're using, it is likely that this is contributing to a less than perfect taste. Brew ratio is all about getting the balance between the amount of ground coffee and the amount of water used correct.  A quality barista will weigh their coffee dose and time their extraction to make sure it is perfect every time. A quality machine must do the same. Volumetrics and coffee machine programming are critical to making your coffee taste smooth. If your coffee machine servicing is not up to date, the calibration could well be off resulting in coffee that tastes too bitter or too sour. Or maybe your machine was never calibrated in the first place? 2. Grind Size If your grind setting is too coarse or too fine, it will significantly alter the flavour of your espresso. Espresso that pours too fast results in under extraction. Espresso that pours slower becomes stronger in flavour as the coffee solids have more time to dissolve – but only up to a point. If the shot pours too slowly due to the grind being too fine, the espresso will taste bitter. You'll need to make your coffee grinds coarser so that the water is not so restricted. Espresso should pour between 25 – 35 seconds, with the best results usually found between 27 – 33 seconds. 3. Dirty Machine & Equipment This might sound obvious, but it is breathtaking how regularly we discover that the biggest problem with taste is that no one is cleaning the machine on its daily cycle.  This is critical upkeep not just for flavour, but for health & safety too. Especially if you are using fresh milk. Our machines are fitted with telemetry so you can see how regularly the machine is being cleaned. If no one in the office is responsible for this daily activity, it will fall by the wayside and massively impact the taste of your coffee. --- If you want to improve the taste of your office coffee, we would LOVE to help. We'll start with your equipment, then we'll determine which of our award-winning coffees is most exciting for your team. We'll perfectly calibrate your machines and you'll be kept up to date with servicing too.  We're also BIG on getting your team excited - with tastings and workshops (make your own coffee face scrub anyone?) and other fun activities. Just read some of our Trustpilot reviews here and feel the love! Drop me an email at helena@truestartcoffee.com and let's chat! Trustpilot

I was recently interviewed by BBC News because of the significant gaps in Government funding for many small businesses, such as TrueStart Coffee. TrueStart is all about spreading positive energy and making a change to the world, by impacting how people feel in their daily lives. To date, alongside many other small businesses we've been unable to access any of the Government grant funding support which has certainly impacted stress levels as we all navigate this pandemic. I'm really delighted to play a part in small businesses having a voice during this crisis.  Click the video below to watch the report. There are many businesses in the UK that do not pay business rates directly. It could be because they are in a shared workspace, for example. These businesses generally pay rates in combination with their rent, but it means they do not have a rates number. The issue here is that having a rates number was the only criteria required to be eligible to receive the original grant funding announced by the Government. There was no requirement to prove impact to revenue. Although these grants have undoubtedly helped many businesses in need, we also know of a number of businesses that received either a £10k or £25k grant even though their revenues were not at all impacted by Covid. The Government have listened to an extent, by introducing a 5% top-up fund, to be allocated on a discretionary basis by local authorities, to businesses that were not eligible for the original fund. There are three problems with this top-up fund. First, it is extremely oversubscribed due to the sheer number of businesses that were ineligible for the original fund. Second, it is massively underfunded, as Bristol's Deputy Mayor Craig Cheney discusses in this report. Under the original fund, TrueStart would have been eligible for a £25k grant with no questions asked (due to the rateable value of our space), but because this new fund is so stretched, we have been told we will be lucky to receive £2.5k. This won't even touch the sides when we are doing everything we can to save jobs. Applying for this grant has been an onerous process, because the council needs a lot of information to determine degree of need. They just don't have enough money for everyone. It is a shame that the original fund did not require businesses to demonstrate a hit to their revenues, because this would have left a lot more cash for businesses genuinely in need. That takes me onto the third issue with this fund, which is implementation at a ground level. I feel for the council, who are trying their best. They haven't even received this cash from the Government yet (another problem - make that four!) but the business rates team are scrabbling around trying to devise a system to provide grants to businesses that they don't even have on record, because by their very nature they do not pay rates and are therefore not on the council's radar. I would like to say a huge thank you to the teams at both Bristol City Council and Business West, who are working incredibly hard to support all local businesses right now. They do not have an easy job and I bet it feels like a thankless task at times.  I completely understand that the Government had to work quickly to prevent mass panic and mass redundancies. My hope is that they listen to these specific issues and revise the top-up fund accordingly, in the same way that they revisited CBILS (and implemented bounce back loans) and furlough (bringing in part-time flexibility, removing the cliff edge). We need more efficient funding and improved implementation for this particular scheme, in order to provide for the many healthy business who can prove that they took a massive hit to their revenues due to Covid. Too many are falling through the cracks.

We're very proud to be supporting our front line heroes in collaboration with the awesome Ben Smith of The 401 Challenge. Ben is the guy that ran 401 marathons in 401 days to raise £250K and insane levels of awareness for anti-bullying. He inspired hundreds of thousands of people who ran with him, many of whom had never run before. He is a continual inspiration for kids across the country with his frank and open schools talks about his own experiences with bullying. Now Ben wants to make it as easy as possible to stay physically fit and mentally healthy during this difficult time, so he has launched a virtual fitness challenge that EVEN YOUR GRANNY CAN DO!! We LOVE IT!! ⁣⁣ ⁣ You've got 18 months to virtually get as far around Ben's upcoming Official USA Challenge route (14,000 miles!) as possible, raising £1 Million while you're at it - for two amazing mental health and kids sports charities, The 401 Foundation and Youth Sport Trust. Choose from 120 different indoor and outdoor activities, from walking to ⁣⁣running and even cleaning, gardening, ironing (who actually does that though) or KNITTING!! Whatever makes you happy 🌞⁣⁣⁣⁣ TrueStart are proud to be donating a personalised gift box for every sign up to Ben's virtual challenge. The box is stuffed full of our feel-good coffee and TREATS to be delivered directly to your nominated #FrontLineHero, as a small thank you for being so selfless and brave. The plan is to put smiles on thousands of faces!⁣⁣ So, where do you sign up to the virtual challenge? Right here! 👉 https://www.theusachallenge.co.uk/go-virtual Thank you for supporting our front line heroes, looking after yourself AND helping Ben raise £1M for mental health and kids sports all in one go - you're a legend!